Not only has the crash forced loyal users to forego the social games and status updates that has made the site an unparalleled success; it has also taken a big bite out of traffic to sites like Western Journalism, which count on readers sharing important, relevant content with their Facebook friends.

Regardless of any social media interruptions, however, our site will continue to carry the same news and commentary you have come to expect. Feel free to follow us on Twitter and share your favorite articles there until the Facebook dilemma is resolved. From the updates on that site, however, it is clear what many Facebook users will miss most during the forced downtime.